Esports has grown significantly in the last decade and has become a serious career option for people fresh out of high school. Zachary “Zekken” Patrone, an American/Filipino Valorant professional, who currently plays for Sentinel, proved what can be achieved in esports after winning the Valorant Masters Madrid tournament.
The renowned esports journalist Jake Lucky recently took to his official X account to share how Zekken’s parents wanted him to go to college instead of giving all his time to Valorant. However, the 19-year-old was determined to make a name for himself. So, he took a gap year before joining college to prove himself as a professional Valorant player.
Almost 2 years ago Zekken told me he was considering a gap year before College to prove to his parents it was worth it being a Valorant pro
Now VCT Madrid Champion and MVP at 19 years old… I think he’s proven himself pic.twitter.com/PmKvrjgXPs
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) March 25, 2024
During this gap year, the Filipino-American participated in the Valorant Masters Madrid with Sentinels. Zekken not only won the major Valorant tournament but was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). Although we still do not know how Zekken’s parents reacted to his win, the 19-year-old has definitely proved that esports is a viable career choice if one is ready to work hard.
Zekken was one kill away from breaking the record for most kills in a BO 5 match
The Filipino-American wasn’t awarded the MVP on a whim, his performance in the finals was genuinely that incredible. He had a 101/85/29 Kill-Death-Assist ratio, along with 27 first-blood kills across all five maps. However, his total number of kills stood out as the most impressive stat since only one player has managed to replicate this performance in the past.
Readers will be amazed to know that the Sentinels star was only a kill away from breaking the world record. However, Zekken now shares the record for most kills (101) in a best-of-5 match alongside Max “Demon1” Mazanov, who achieved this feat at the 2023 Valorant Champions Lower Final.
Zekken’s performance got a lot of attention online, and Reddit user da_sheepian even claimed that if “he [Zekken] didn’t whiff in sewers he would’ve broken the the record.” Fans were also impressed by how the American/Filipinowas able to brush aside the pressure and achieve this feat at the finals of a major Valorant tournament.
Zekken’s performance at the Valorant Masters Madrid will definetly encourage others to seek a career in esports. However, one need not drop out of college to become an esports athlete since institutes like Winthrop University, whose team qualified for the Valorant Challengers, have been promoting esports as a major sport across the United States.
